Memristors with Nociceptor Characteristics Using Threshold Switching of Pt/HfO<sub>2</sub>/TaOx/TaN Devices

As artificial intelligence technology advances, it is necessary to imitate various biological functions to complete more complex tasks. Among them, studies have been reported on the nociceptor, a critical receptor of sensory neurons that can detect harmful stimuli. Although a complex CMOS circuit is...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Minsu Park, Beomki Jeon, Jongmin Park, Sungjun Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-11-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/23/4206
Description
Summary:As artificial intelligence technology advances, it is necessary to imitate various biological functions to complete more complex tasks. Among them, studies have been reported on the nociceptor, a critical receptor of sensory neurons that can detect harmful stimuli. Although a complex CMOS circuit is required to electrically realize a nociceptor, a memristor with threshold switching characteristics can implement the nociceptor as a single device. Here, we suggest a memristor with a Pt/HfO<sub>2</sub>/TaO<sub>x</sub>/TaN bilayer structure. This device can mimic the characteristics of a nociceptor including the threshold, relaxation, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. Additionally, we contrast different electrical properties according to the thickness of the HfO<sub>2</sub> layer. Moreover, Pt/HfO<sub>2</sub>/TaO<sub>x</sub>/TaN with a 3 nm thick HfO<sub>2</sub> layer has a stable endurance of 1000 cycles and controllable threshold switching characteristics. Finally, this study emphasizes the importance of the material selection and fabrication method in the memristor by comparing Pt/HfO<sub>2</sub>/TaO<sub>x</sub>/TaN with Pt/TaO<sub>x</sub>/TaN, which has insufficient performance to be used as a nociceptor.
ISSN:2079-4991